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Snapshots: Schmidt, Versteeg, Wolski

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Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt is still weeks away from making his season debut, but he’s taking his first step toward returning to normality. Schmidt, who was suspended 20 games for testing positive for a banned substance in violation of the NHL’s PED policy, opted to spend the early season in Europe. Schmidt has been practicing with the Vienna Capitals of Austria’s EBEL this month, but is now wrapping up his time with the team. Sports Illustrated’s Alex Prewitt reports that Schmidt plans to return to North America in the next week as the month of October comes to an end. With close to a month still remaining before his 20 games are up and he can return to game action with Vegas, Schmidt will not go right back to his current squad. Instead, Prewitt adds that he will join his former team at the University of Minnesota as a practice participant for a short period of time. However, Prewitt notes that the CBA allows Schmidt to join the Golden Knights in a limited capacity beginning on November 8th. At that time, he can join in team meetings and practices. November 18th, a road game against the Edmonton Oilers, will mark Schmidt’s official return to the team. While the defense has held up in Schmidt’s absence, the defending Western Conference champs are only a .500 team through eight games and the third-worst offense in the league. Schmidt, who was second among defensemen and ninth overall in points for Vegas last year, will be a welcome addition to a team that needs a spark early this season.

  • Kris Versteeg’s season overseas was short-lived. The veteran winger was unable to find NHL employment this off-season and ended up signing with the KHL’s Avangard Omsk in early September. However, NHL.com’s European insider Igor Eronko reports that Versteeg is leaving the team to return to North America. Eronko did not have any more information on the reasoning behind Versteeg’s early exit, but this isn’t the first time that the 32-year-old forward has backed out of an opportunity abroad. Versteeg signed in Switzerland back in the summer of 2016, only to terminate his contract before ever playing with the club, the NLA’s SC Bern, allegedly due to medical insurance issues. He soon after committed to a PTO with the Edmonton Oilers that turned into a contract with the Calgary Flames. Perhaps Versteeg again senses an opportunity back in the NHL and has found a way out of his KHL obligations. For his part, TSN’s Darren Dreger states that Versteeg has been sick with shingles and proffers this could be the primary reason for the departure. One way or another, Versteeg’s time with Avangard is over after just 11 games and we will soon know about about his immediate plans.
  • One player not returning to the NHL, despite some speculation, is forward Wojtek Wolski. Wolski recently terminated his contract with KHL club Mettalurg Magnitogorsk and was seeking a new place to play. That appears to be limited to either remaining in the KHL or moving to the NLA in Switzerland, rather than a return to North America, per a report from a Swiss news source. A return to the NHL for the 32-year-old Wolski, now six years separated from his last action at the highest level, was always a stretch, but many fans would not have minded seeing the Polish-Canadian star try his hand at a comeback.

New Jersey Devils Recall Egor Yakovlev

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After a promising start to the season the New Jersey Devils have dropped back to back games against the Colorado Avalanche and Philadelphia Flyers, and will now welcome the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Nashville Predators to town on Thursday night. With that in mind, the team has recalled former KHL defenseman Egor Yakovlev from the minor leagues. It didn’t take long for Yakovlev to make an impact with the organization, recording seven assists in his first seven AHL contests including two in his very first game.

Signed last May to a one-year, entry-level contract, Yakovlev is making his North American debut after playing for the last six seasons in the KHL. The mobile defenseman loves to skate the puck out of trouble and found success for years in the KHL and internationally until seeing his ice time drop dramatically in 2017-18 with SKA St. Petersburg. That’s a common occurrence for a player who has indicated he’s on his way to North America, though there’s no confirmation he was sat for that reason.

If he does get into the lineup, the 27-year old will fit in with a defense corps that moves the puck extremely quickly and tries to create tempo all over the ice. The team did have seven other defensemen, but has placed Steven Santini on injured reserve after suffering a broken jaw this weekend when a puck struck him in the face. The club has also recalled forward Kevin Rooney, who had been sent down in a paper transaction yesterday.

Overseas Notes: Tolvanen, Wolski, Phelps

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A decision is looming for the Nashville Predators. As TSN’s Bob McKenzie again noted in yesterday’s “Insider Trading” segment, forward Eeli Tolvanen has a European Assignment Clause that would allow him to leave North America after ten games in the AHL. When Tolvanen failed to break camp and was assigned to the Milwaukee Admirals, the countdown began. After last night, Tolvanen has skated in all six of the Admirals games and would hit ten by the end of a busy four-game stretch next week. The 2017 first-round pick came over from Jokerit of the KHL late last season and played in three regular season games for the Predators, but did not see the ice in the postseason. He was then expected to be an impact player in Nashville this year, but did not make enough of an impression in the preseason. While the Predators may be equally as disappointed in the situation as Tolvanen, it is the Finnish forward who holds all the leverage. If he opts to leave and return to the KHL, where he would make a much higher salary and play a more important role, he can’t return to the NHL this season. Nashville would lose a valued depth asset for nothing for the remainder of the year. Can and will they offer Tolvanen a full-time spot on the NHL roster? Or will the young forward see the developmental value in remaining in the AHL? If the answer to both of these questions is “no”, a budding star will soon depart from North America this season.

  • Could Wojtek Wolski be eyeing a return to North America? It seems unlikely for the former Colorado Avalanche star, who has played in the KHL for parts of the last six seasons. However, Wolski and his most recent club, Mettalurg Magnitogorsk, have come to a mutual agreement on the termination of his contract, the team announced. Wolski has been a valued hired gun in the KHL for some time now, but as he enters the twilight of his career – now 32 years old with a lot of tread on the tires – Wolski could try to land a gig in the AHL or even NHL in an attempt to get back to the top level of pro hockey before his playing days are done. He certainly put on a good show for NHL eyes on the international stage last season, leading Team Canada in goals at the Olympic Games. Wolski last played in the NHL in 2012-13 with the Washington Capitals and was far from the 50-point form he showed early in his career with the Avs, but was nevertheless a serviceable player. Don’t rule out the possibility that he tries his hand at a return. Even if he doesn’t, he won’t remain unemployed for very long.
  • Former Boston University forward Chase Phelps has made an interesting career move. A four-year starter for the Terriers, the undrafted Phelps was seemingly unable to land a job in North America this off-season, not showing up on any training camp rosters either. The checking forward was a reliable defensive asset for BU for four years, even if his offensive production never matched up with his USHL No. 21 overall pick tag. Yet, Phelps has found a team willing to give him a chance. French club Anglet has signed the two-way forward, the team announced. Located in the south of France, Anglet plays in the French premiere league, the “Synerglace Ligue Magnus”. Phelps was once a standout for Shattuck St. Mary’s; now moving on from the uber-competitive Hockey East Conference to the French pro ranks, perhaps he can re-discover that scoring touch.

Jan Kovar Signs Professional Tryout With Providence Bruins

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The New York Islanders made a quick decision in training camp that Jan Kovar had been a mistake, terminating his contract just a few months after signing him to a one-year $2MM deal. Many expected Kovar to return overseas to play in the KHL or another European league after clearing waivers, but as Mark Divver of the Providence Journal reports, he’s now signed on with the Providence Bruins of the AHL on a professional tryout agreement. That would suggest that the Boston Bruins are at least willing to take a look at him to see if he can help their organization, either at the NHL or AHL level.

Kovar, 28, signed out of the KHL but ended up failing to make the Islanders out of training camp. When the team tried to send him to the minor leagues, he didn’t report and eventually agreed to a mutual termination. It’s interesting that he’s now willing to play at the AHL level, after refusing to do so just a few weeks ago with the Islanders. His agent, Allan Walsh of Octagon Hockey, tweeted out that Kovar plans on playing for Providence for a few weeks before evaluating his “NHL options.” It was believed that there was more than one suitor who approached the Czech forward this summer, and perhaps someone else will come forward with a new contract.

It’s not hard to see why there was interest, given Kovar’s success in the KHL. Though his 2017-18 was a down year with just 35 points, he’d recorded four straight seasons of at least 20 goals and 50 points prior to that, and had previously dominated the Czech professional league as well. There’s plenty of talent there, and experience at the international level against some of the world’s best players. Kovar has competed in several World Championships for the Czech Republic, and even suited up at the last Olympic Games, leading his country with five points in six games.

If there’s enough there for the Bruins to take a look, one has to wonder if they would sign the veteran forward to try and give the team another offensive option lower in the lineup. Sometimes referred to as a “one line team” this season, Boston has been relying heavily on the trio of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak to create offense. In fact, David Krejci is the only other forward on the team with more than two points, and even he hasn’t scored a goal this season. Giving Kovar a place to play for a few weeks doesn’t hold much risk, and could potentially pay off for the team in the long run.

Snapshots: Doughty, Nylander, Altybarmakyan

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The Toronto Maple Leafs ended up landing the biggest fish of free agency in John Tavares, but long before the Tavares sweepstakes even began, the team was linked to Los Angeles Kings defenseman Drew Doughty. Doughty, a Toronto area native, ended up signing an eight-year, $88MM extension early this off-season, ending any thoughts that he might be a free agent in the summer of 2019. So where did the homecoming rumors come from? Doughty has now admitted, via TSN, that he never seriously considered moving on from L.A. Instead, he floated the idea of departing the Kings for the Maple Leafs as a negotiation tactic. Doughty negotiated his latest deal without an agent and, in order to ensure he wasn’t taken advantage of, made sure he had some leverage on his side. The rumors that he might leave if able to test the free agent market surely encouraged the Kings to give him what he wanted on his latest extension, the largest contract for a defenseman in NHL history.

  • Another player who has no interest in signing with the Maple Leafs, at least not at their current offer, is restricted free agent forward William Nylander. Toronto and their young forward seem to be at an impasse in contract negotiations and the December 1st deadline, after which Nylander would be prohibited from playing in the NHL this season, is starting to look like a real possibility. Should that come to fruition, Nylander would likely turn to the KHL for his paycheck this season. Nylander’s rights are held by Avangard Omsk, currently led by former NHL head coach Bob Hartley, who recently spoke to TSN about his excitement about the possibility of having Nylander on the roster this season. Avangard already added Cody Franson, Alexei Emelin, David Desharnais, and Kris Versteeg this off-season and could really make waves in the KHL by adding Nylander to the mix. Nylander is currently skating in his native Sweden and could make the short trip over to Russia rather than the trip back across the Atlantic this season, if talks continue to go poorly with the Maple Leafs.
  • Staying in the KHL, Chicago Blackhawks prospect Andrei Altybarmakyan is on the move. The 20-year-old winger was traded today, swapped by SKA St. Petersburg to HK Sochi for fellow young forward Ivan Larichev, the league reports. Both Altybarmakyan and Larichev are fringe KHLers with limited experience at the highest level, but Sochi appears to be the long-term winner in this deal, acquiring the 2017 third-round pick. There has been no indication that Altybarmakyan is heading over to North America any time soon and could continue to develop into a bona fide starter for Sochi down the road.

Atlantic Notes: Nylander, Harpur, Maple Leafs, Reilly

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As if the Toronto Maple Leafs and William Nylander negotiations weren’t getting enough attention, NHL.com’s Igor Eronko reports that KHL Avangard Omsk head coach Bob Hartley, whose team owns the KHL rights to Nylander, would love to have the winger come play for them.

“I would like to see William in my team,” Hartley said. “I know his father. That would be great.”

Negotiations between the two sides have not fared well with rumors that Nylander’s camp is asking for $8MM per season, while the Maple Leafs refuse to offer a record-breaking deal and are rumored to be closer to $6MM per season. An earlier report even suggests that Toronto’s latest offer was a four-year deal worth well under $20MM and the team is not interested in trading the 22-year-old.

Nylander could opt to sign a deal with Avangard Omsk, although that seems unlikely as he’d prefer to play in the NHL, but obviously Nylander’s camp is hoping the possible threat of sitting out the season might bring up Toronto’s offer.

  • The Ottawa Senators got another impressive performance from one of their young players Saturday when defenseman Ben Harpur finally made his season debut. The 23-year-old had been a healthy scratch up to now, but made an immediate physical impact to the game when he put a major hit on Los Angeles Kings winger Alex Iafallo early in the game. The 6-foot-6, 222-pound blueliner didn’t register a point in their 5-1 win over the Kings, but played so well, he led the team in ice time, playing 22:37, according to Don Brennan of The Ottawa Sun. Harpur was teamed with veteran Mark Borowiecki on a pairing assigned to shutdown the Kings’ top line of Anze Kopitar, Ilya Kovalchuk and Iafallo. That line finished with no points and just six shots on goal.
  • The Athletic’s Jonas Siegel (subscription required) gives credit to general manager Kyle Dubas and the Toronto Maple Leafs for the signings of center Par Lindholm and defenseman Igor Ozhiganov, who both have made quite an impact on the Maple Leafs already loaded roster, giving them another two “free” additions on a team that needs as many cheap options as possible. Lindholm potted his first career NHL goal Saturday, while Ozhiganov had his best game yet, according to head coach Mike Babcock. The team has already done a good job in past years, bringing in foreign players on cheap deals, including defenseman Nikita Zaitsev as well as Calle Rosen and Andreas Borgman.
  • The Montreal Canadiens feel they have found an answer to who will eventually play alongside Shea Weber when he returns later this year. The team has been really impressed with the play of Mike Reilly, who has been a big part of the team’s 2-1-1 start so far this season, according to The Athletic’s Arpon Basu (subscription required). He has done a good job moving the puck with his speed. He faced up against Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby twice and while the numbers don’t support it, Crosby wasn’t a major factor in either game. “It’s a good challenge, but I love it,” Reilly said after the Canadiens’ 4-3 shootout win Saturday. “I like to compete, I have high expectations, so it’s always fun to go out against guys like that.”

Minor Transactions: 10/13/18

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Forward Logan Shaw has re-joined a familiar locale. The journeyman power forward, who attended Calgary Flames training camp on a PTO, was unable to secure NHL employment this season. Instead, he has signed a one-year AHL contract with the San Diego Gulls, the Anaheim Ducks’ affiliate announced. The Gulls are one of the seven different NHL or AHL teams that Shaw has played for in his five-year pro career, albeit only briefly with a pair of contests in the 2016-17 season. Were it not for the Montreal Canadiens claiming him on waivers last season, that number would be much higher. The Anaheim Ducks, who had traded for Shaw early in 2016-17 and gave him a then-career high 55 games and a contract extension, attempted to slide the big winger through the waiver wire after another 42 games last year, only for the injury-riddled Canadiens to claim him. Shaw skated in 30 games for Montreal and, combined, recorded a career-best 72 games and 14 points last year. However, that wasn’t enough to drum up NHL interest and Shaw has instead returned to the AHL level and a team in San Diego with which he has some familiarity. Shaw made his Gulls season debut last night, notching an assist in a narrow loss to the Tuscon Roadrunners. Shaw could be a leading scorer for San Diego this year and, at 26 year old, the door to an NHL return may not quite be shut just yet.

More minor moves as the day goes on:

  • The Boston Bruins have assigned forward Martin Bakos to their AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins, the team announced. Bakos, a free agent signing out of the Czech Republic, began the season on the injured reserve after suffering a lower-body injury early in training camp. That lack of ice time with the starters in the preseason eliminated any chance that Bakos had of cracking the Bruins’ roster right away, but the team does have high expectations of the veteran Slovakian forward. Bakos, 28, has several season of experience in the KHL as well as the Czech League, including his career-high 40-point campaign with Liberec last season. Bakos is a versatile, two-way forward who can play all three forward positions and competes in all three zones. The Providence Bruins are deep with talent, both young and older, but Bakos could be one of the first call-ups if he stays healthy, adjusts to the North American game, and produces for Providence.
  • The Montreal Canadiens have recalled goalie Charlie Lindgren from the AHL’s Laval Rocket, the team noted this morning. It is an emergency recall for Lindgren, as starter Carey Price is apparently unavailable do to the flu. The Habs square off with the Pittsburgh Penguins tonight and it will presumably be the first appearance of the season for primary backup Antti Niemi. However, given the Penguins’ scoring punch, Lindgren could also potentially make his season debut. The 24-year-old has made 17 NHL appearances in his young career, posting a save percentage of .914 and a goals against average of 2.78.
  • With their injury-plagued parent club already drawing on their roster depth, the Belleville Senators have re-signed forward Daniel Ciampini to a two-way contract for this season, the team announced. Ottawa could prove to be a team with a fluctuating roster this season in need of AHL reinforcements, so Belleville has proactively added one of their own in Ciampini. The 27-year-old played in 49 games with the junior Senators last season, recording 16 points. The former Union College standout has also scored at a better than a point-per-game clip in the ECHL the past two years, showing some production potential that Belleville hopes spills over into the AHL.
  • The Florida Panthers have sent defenseman Jacob MacDonald to the AHL, the team announced. MacDonald will head to the Springfield Thunderbirds, somewhat of a return for a player who briefly played for the former Springfield Falcons back in 2015-16. The MacDonald experiment always seemed to have an expiration date with the Panthers having several injured defensemen on the mend, but MacDonald did score on his first (and only) NHL shot and performed well in sheltered minutes through two games. However, the team will move on without MacDonald for now, as he looks to continue the success he found at the AHL level last season. In the meantime, KHL import Bogdan Kiselevich has been activated from the injured reserve and will likely take on a regular role in Florida.

Nick Shore Signs In KHL

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Last we heard there was interest from several teams around the NHL in free agent center Nick Shore, but still nothing materialized before the season began last week. Now, with no contract apparent in North America, Shore will take his talents overseas. Igor Eronko of Sport-Express has confirmed with Magnitogorsk Metallurg that they’ve signed Shore to a one-year contract.

This surely won’t be the last we hear of Shore in North America, especially given the fact that he still grades out positively among analytical scouting methods and can reliably play the middle of the ice. No, he has not been a reliable scoring option at the NHL level—with only 53 points in 236 games—but there are still teams struggling to find anyone who can win a faceoff and not get filled in defensively. Shore benefits from several years playing in the Los Angeles Kings system, which traditionally boosts possession statistics, but also has shown himself to be at least capable in short stints in Ottawa and Calgary.

Still, there’s obviously a feeling of uncertainty when it comes to the 26-year old forward, given that he was included in the Dion Phaneuf–Marian Gaborik salary swap and then sold off the Flames for a seventh-round pick. It’s not clear exactly what kind of market materialized for him this offseason, but there could very well have been no one-way deals available. Heading to the KHL for a season will allow him to rebuild his value somewhat while still playing at a high level, and Magnitogorsk is off to a 11-6 record and should be competitive all season long.

Shore will join other familiar NHL names like Wojtek Wolski and Nikolai Kulemin, as well as those with equally short-lived NHL careers like Iiro Pakarinen, Victor Antipin and Roman Lyubimov.

Alexei Emelin Turned Down Offer From Washington Capitals

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Among the names that ended up without an NHL contract this summer, Alexei Emelin stood out given his full season of games with the Nashville Predators in 2017-18. Emelin ended up playing 76 games for the Predators, but found himself without a deal until accepting a three-year contract back in the KHL with Avangard Omsk. Now 14 games into the KHL season, Emelin has told Igor Eronko of Sport-Express that he did receive a contract offer from an NHL team after all. The Washington Capitals apparently offered the veteran defenseman a contract, but he rejected it because it was only for one season.

Emelin was once a feared defender for the Montreal Canadiens, who could lay an open ice hit as well as almost anyone else in the league. In his first season in the NHL after coming over from the KHL, he recorded 236 hits in just 67 games and quickly developed a reputation on the ice. That physical style eventually led to him becoming a top option for the Canadiens, playing more than 20 minutes per night, and earned him a four-year, $16.4MM contract extension. Montreal though decided that he wasn’t worth protecting at the expansion draft, and the Vegas Golden Knights picked and then quickly flipped the big defenseman to Nashville where he’d serve as insurance for Ryan Ellis’ injury.

Even though that season in Nashville wasn’t disastrous, it wasn’t clear what the market for Emelin would be this summer. He obviously wasn’t a good option for any contending team’s top four, he wasn’t right handed, and his brand of physical hockey was being shifted away from—especially among defensemen. The fact that he obviously was looking for a multi-year contract isn’t surprising either, given his age of 32 and likely realization that it was his last chance for that kind of a contract. Returning home to the KHL was always an option, and if the Washington offer was the best he received in North America it’s clear why he’s no longer in the NHL.

Snapshots: Gagner, Despres, Flyers, Bruins-Red Wings

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Count Sam Gagner among the many of us surprised by his waiver placement and subsequent loan by the Vancouver Canucks. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox recently sat down with Gagner, now re-located to Toronto to play for the AHL’s Marlies this season, and found that the veteran forward “didn’t see it coming”. Just one year into a three-year, $9.45MM contract, Gagner said he was “shocked” that the Canucks had decided to move on so quickly. “I came to camp prepared, I had a really good summer of work, I did well on the [fitness] tests, I thought I played pretty well in pre-season…”, but it was all for naught, as Vancouver decided to move forward with their young players, leaving Gagner as the odd man out. To make matters worse, the Toronto native had just re-located his young family to Vancouver, only to get reassigned to Toronto, where he currently lives with his parents. Gagner has been a serviceable albeit streaky player throughout his playing days, but after this surprising and unfortunate shift in his career, one can only hope that a more permanent solution for Gagner and his family comes around sooner rather than later.

  • TVA’s Renaud Lavoie reports that veteran defenseman Simon Despres has opted not to sign with the AHL’s Laval Rocket. Despres, a former first-round pick and NHL regular with the Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks, struggled with injuries and was more or less forced out of the league in recent years. After finally returning to full health last season and performing well with the KHL’s HC Slovan Bratislava, Despres expressed an interest in returning to the NHL this year. Interestingly, he specifically mentioned his interest in the relatively new AHL franchise in his hometown of Laval and signed a PTO with the Montreal Canadiens this summer in hopes of landing a two-way contract where he could play in Laval and potentially work his way onto the Habs’ roster. He fell short of that goal, but a one-way AHL contract with the Rocket seemed like the next-best thing. Instead, Lavoie indicates that Despres has chosen the unknown over minor league certainty. He has no plans for the season right now, but won’t be accepting an AHL contract and could certainly entertain offers back in Europe.
  • The Philadelphia Flyers have announced their support group for captain Claude Giroux, naming their alternate captains for the season. Wayne Simmonds, an impending free agent but a fan favorite and respected veteran, will wear the “A” at all times this year. On the road, the elder statesman of the blue line, Andrew MacDonald, will serve as an alternate. Back at home, 2017-18’s breakout star Sean Couturier will be the other alternate. With a substantial number of young players playing key roles for Philly, their leadership corps has an important role to play if the Flyers are to be contenders this season.
  • The Bruins have made things easier for Boston sports fans this Saturday. With the Boston Red Sox eliminating the New York Yankees in the ALDS on Tuesday night, the team moves on to the ALCS to face the Houston Astros with Game One taking place on Saturday night. The Bruins were also scheduled to play on Saturday night, facing the Detroit Red Wings at 7pm ET. However, the team announced that they have re-scheduled the game for 3pm ET to avoid the conflict with the Red Sox game. Head coach Bruce Cassidy recently spoke about his support for the Bruins’ baseball counterparts and the privilege of coaching in a city with so much fan support and success across all four major sports.

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